Safety apparatus for use with overhead electric conductors.



No. 762,410. 7 A PATENTED JUNE 14, .1904. H. F. HILL. SAFETY APPARATUSFOR USE WITH OVERHEAD ELECTRIC GONDUGTORS.

LPPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED ST T S- Patented June 14, 1904.

HERBERT FREDERICK HILL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SAFETY APPARATUS FOR USE WITH OVERHEAD ELECTRIC CONDUCTORSISPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent ivo. 762,410, dated June 14,1904.

' Application filed June 10, 1903- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT FREDERICK HILL, a subject of the King ofEngland, residing at London, England, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Use with Overhead ElectricConductors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to'a safety attachment for use with overheadelectric wires, and especially with theoverhead electric conductors ortrolley-wires of electric railways; and the object of the invention isto provide means for short-circuiting the current to earth in case theelectric conductor breaks.

The invention Will be fully described hereinafter, reference being had.to the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a side elevationshowing my invention; and Fig. 2 a view, partly in section, taken at aright angle to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing amodification.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in connection With twoparallel separated electrical conducting-wires-one for the supply andthe other for the return of the current although it might be employed inconnection With a single. conducting-wire. In

the present case the electric conducting-wires are indicated by A and A,and these may be supported by the poles B B in any suitable manner notnecessary to particularly describe.

C indicates what may be termed the safetywire and which will also besuitably supported by the poles B in such position that it will be abovethe wires A and A and in a plane substantiallymidway between them. WiresF will run from the wire O atintervals to the earth, one of such wiresbeing shownin Fig. 1.

D and D indicate two metallic frames of approximately inverted V shapeand preferably made of wire, the legs of the respecive frames beingfirmly secured to the conductors A and A, respectively, and the apex ofeach frame extending upwardly above the plane of the wire O and beingsecurely connected to each other by a metallic cross-bar (Z, and theframes and bar practically form an arch extending over and across thesafety-wire.

If either of the conductors A or A should break, its frame D or D willdrop until the Serial No. 160,940. (No model.)

cross-bar (Z engages the wire O, when the current will be shortcircuited to the earth through the frame and cross-bar and wires O andF. V

The advantage of the particular form of the frames D D is that they canbe very cheaply manufactured, and by connecting them at two separatedpoints to the conductors there is less danger of their becomingseparated therefrom, since if one leg of a frame should accidentallybecome separated from the conductor the other one would still besufficient to sustain the broken conductor.

Although I prefer to use the frames D and D for the reasons abovestated, and especially when only a single conducting-wire is employed, Imay sometimes use in place thereof with two conducting-wires a singlepiece of wire bent into the form of an arch, as indicated by G in Fig.3, the ends of the wire'being respectively connected to theconductingwires and the arch extending above and across the safety-wire.

Without limiting myself to the precise details of constructionillustrated and described, I claim 1. The combination with an electricconducting-wire and the supports therefor, of a safety-wire, aconducting-frame connected to the conducting-wire at a plurality ofpoints, and a bar extending from said frame above and across thesafety-wire, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with an electric conducting-wire and the supportstherefor, of a safety-wire supported in a plane above theconducting-wire and electrically connected to the earth, a metallicframe of substantially inverted V shape, the legs of which are connectedto the conducting-wire and the apex of which extends abovethe plane ofthe safetywire, and a bar extending from the apex of the frame above andacross the safety-wire, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with two separated, parallel, electricconducting-wires, andthe supports therefor, of a safety-wire supportedin a plane above the conducting-wires substantially midway between them,and electrically connected to the earth, inverted-V-shaped frames thelegs of which are connected to the to this specification in the presenceof two subrespective conducting-wires and their apexes scribingwitnesses.

extending above the safety-wire, and a bar H extending above and acrossthe safety-wire HERBERl FREDERICK HILL 5 and connecting the apexes ofsaid frames, sub- WVitnesses:

stantially as set forth. J ESSIE TAYLOR,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name MAURICE JOHN RICE.

